The Fara drive-in theater in Russia reopens

St.Petersburg, Russia –The Fara (i.e. “Headlamp” in Russian) drive-in theater is up and running in St. Petersburg once again – and this time, it’s screening its films with the help of a Christie^® DLP Cinema^® projector.

“We are reopening our legendary drive-in theater, Fara, which became the first movie theater of its kind in the city back in December 1999. We are now transposing the unique experience we gained at that time to summer 2020,” explained Eduard Pichugin, producer and creator of Fara. “The Fara drive-in theater was the northernmost in the world, with screenings that attracted motorists and bikers from every city in northwestern Russia. The theater operated for more than six years in this first era, remaining popular even as modern multiplexes opened around it. We believe that the renaissance of Fara  today is just what the city needs.”

The city’s northern climate presents a number of specific challenges for a drive-through theater to reckon with, including winds, temperature extremes, and the white nights. Design solutions have been developed in response that address such areas as screen set-up, transmitting sound into cars, organizing parking spaces, and customer service.

Another crucial factor was selecting a cinema projector with sufficient brightness for the screenings. The operators selected the Christie CP2230 DLP^® Cinema projector –one of the leading xenon lamp models on the market. These projectors are famed for their reliability and quality, and can be found today in theaters throughout the world.

Showings at The Fara are set to include some of the best films of recent years. As per drive-in tradition, cinemagoers watch the films on the big screen from the comfort of their own vehicles while listening to the soundtrack via a radio transmitter in their cars set to a specific frequency. Visitors to the drive-in can also enjoy a “cinebar” that helps recreate the atmosphere of a large theater with movie favorites like popcorn.

The theater has been set up in the courtyard of the business center at building 17, block 4, Prospekt Nepokorennykh and is open daily. During the white nights period, screenings will begin at 23:00. The parking area can accommodate up to 50 cars. Customer service is provided with minimal contact, in line with all recommendations from Russia’s Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing.

The theater’s projection equipment was installed, configured, and tested in cooperation with Ivan Denisov and Ruslan Sarvarov, who have more than 10 years of experience installing Christie equipment at numerous locations.

Business Development Manager for Russia and the CIS at Christie, Anna Vostretsova, says: “We’re delighted to see venues like the Fara opening their doors in cities throughout Russia. In addition to The Fara in St. Petersburg, Christie cinema equipment is now also powering drive-ins in Moscow and Irkutsk. This clearly demonstrates that, while subject to some restrictions in light of the current situation, the shared experience of attending a movie screening continues to attract viewers.”